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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 11th, 2024–Jan 12th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Watch for wind slab in unusual areas from strong northerly winds.

Factor cold temperatures and wind chill in your trip plan this weekend.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Slab avalanches to size 2 were reported on north and east facing slopes at higher elevations during Tuesday's storm.

On Wednesday a size 2.5 naturally triggered persistent slab was reported on a northwest facing slope in the alpine, where the bed surface had reloaded from a previous recent avalanche. Last Saturday, a very large avalanche was reported on Joffre shoulder. We suspect it failed on the weak layer of facets or surface hoar overlying a crust.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 60 cm of light storm snow is being transported into wind slabs on south facing slopes from northerly winds. These slabs overly wind-affected surfaces and a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas at treeline and below.

A crust is found at treeline and below, 40-80 cm down. In some areas, a layer of preserved surface hoar is found just above the crust.

Another weak layer of facets or surface hoar overlying a crust is found at the base of the snowpack down 80 to 120 cm. This is the suspected failure plane for a few large avalanches in the region that occurred on January 6.

Snowpack depths are 100 to 140 cm at treeline and decrease rapidly below.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly clear skies with 20-30 km/h northerly winds. Treeline temperature drops to -30 °C.

Friday

Sunny. Northerly winds 15-30 km/h. Treeline temperature remains steady around -30 °C.

Saturday

Sunny with northerly winds 10-20 km/h. Treeline temperatures rise to -20 °C.

Sunday

Sunny with northerly winds 20-40 km/h. Treeline temperatures rise to -20 °C.

With unusually cold temperatures forecast for this weekend, check out the most recent Forecaster Blog for tips on backcountry preparedness.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.